Your moment of information design zen: the Shopsin's menu AUG 08 2004

What does happen occasionally is that Kenny gets an idea for a dish and writes on the specials board -- yes, there is a specials board -- something like Indomalekian Sunrise Stew. (Kenny and his oldest son, Charlie, invented the country of Indomalekia along with its culinary traditions.) A couple of weeks later, someone finally orders Indomalekian Sunrise Stew and Kenny can't remember what he had in mind when he thought it up. Fortunately, the customer doesn't know, either, so Kenny just invents it again on the spot.

Shopsin's has moved to another Village location since the article came out, but they've still got that big old menu. If you dare, feast your eyes on a tour de force of outsider information design, all 11 pages of the Shopsin's General Store menu (PDF, 188K).

You want chicken fried eggs with a side of pancakes? Page 6. On page 1, there's gotta be 100 soups alone, including Pistachio Red Chicken Curry. I lost count after 40 different kinds of pancakes on page 10. In amongst the kate, gregg, tamara, and sneaky pete sandwiches on page 2, you'll find the northern sandwich: peanut butter & bacon on white toast. There appears to be nothing that's not on the menu, although I looked pretty hard for foie gras and couldn't find it. If they did have it, you could probably get it chicken fried with whipped cream on top.

- No cell phone use
- One meal per person minimum (everyone's got to eat)
- No smoking
- Limit four people per group

On that last point, the menu has something additional to add (page 4):

Party of Fiveyou could put a chair at the endor push the tables togetherbut dont botherThis banged-up little restaurantwhere you would expect no rules at allhas a firm policy against seatingparties of fiveAnd you know you are a party of fiveIt doesn't matter if one of youoffers to leave or ifyou say you could split intoa party of three and a party of twoor if the five of you come back tomorrowin Richard Nixon masks and try to pretendthat you don't know each otherIt won't work: You're a party of fiveeven if you're a beloved regularEven if the place is emptyEven if you bring logic to bearEven if you're a tackle for the Chicago Bearsit won't workYou're a party of fiveYou will always be a party of fiveAhundred blocks from herea hundred years from nowyou will still be a party of fiveand you will never savor the soupor compare the coffeeor hear the wisdom of the cookand the wit of the waitress orget to hum the old -time tunesamong which you will findno quintets

-- Robert Hershon

Love it, love it, love it, and I have to get my ass over there one of these days.